Exploding e-cigarette injures woman, destroys car

The burned shell of a rental car sits in the driveway of Golden Gate Estates resident John Riner where a friend, 30-year-old Cassandra Koziol, says an e-cigarette exploded in her face Thursday night burning her and causing the vehicle fire. (David Albers/Staff)

The burned shell of a rental car sits in the driveway of Golden Gate Estates resident John Riner where a friend, 30-year-old Cassandra Koziol, says an e-cigarette exploded in her face Thursday night burning her and causing the vehicle fire. (David Albers/Staff)

Cassandra Koziol had just parked her rental car in front of a friend's home in Golden Gate Estates Thursday night when she paused to take a smoke and charge her phone.

The 30-year-old raised her Tugboat brand e-cigarette to her lips, pressed the button and boom — the thing exploded in her mouth, knocking her teeth loose and flying from her hand.

Disoriented and covered in blood and soot, she ran inside, shouting for her friends to call 911. By the time they went back outside to drive her to the hospital, Koziol's Hyundai rental car was fully engulfed in flames.

Fire licked the dangling banyan leaves above as John Riner, Koziol's friend, called for paramedics and firefighters.

"If I didn't call as soon as I did, the house would have been on fire," said Riner, who called 911 about 8:30 p.m.

Koziol is the third reported victim of an e-cigarette explosion in Southwest Florida in recent months. She, like others, has retained a personal injury lawyer hoping to go after the companies that sold or made what she now believes is a dangerous product that could have killed her.

"I'll never use a mod again," she said, referring to a nickname for the device.

On Friday, Koziol stood outside Riner's home near her rental car — gutted and charred from the blaze — swearing off e-cigarettes and tobacco products. She said she switched to e-cigarettes about three years ago hoping to avoid some of the harmful side effects of cigarettes.

Koziol spent a few hours in the hospital Thursday night where she was treated for first and second degree burns. She has burns on her hand, chest and neck. Her lips were bruised and swollen and a tooth had fallen out Friday morning.

"I lost my car, I lost my teeth, I lost my mod," she said. "I'm in pain."

Koziol hired personal injury attorney Sean King to help her navigate the insurance claims that will follow.

King said he plans to look into the battery used in the device and the manufacturers behind them.

"It would almost have to be part of a class-action suit," he said.

King arranged for Koziol to meet with a local dentist to evaluate the damage to her mouth. In the meantime, a local fire official was combing the burned vehicle looking for the e-cigarette.

Koziol, who recently moved to the Orlando area from Iowa, is the third reported victim of an e-cigarette explosion here in Southwest Florida. In October, a North Naples man was injured when an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth. The victim, Evan Spahlinger, later filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County, targeting the companies that made and sold the product.

That same month, a man was treated at a Cape Coral hospital after an e-cigarette exploded in his pants pocket on the golf course.

A 2014 study by the U.S. Fire Administration shows there have been 25 media reports of e-cigarettes causing fires or exploding between 2009 and the release of the report in October 2014. The agency said the number is not likely complete, given that some incidents may go unreported.

The report also showed that the explosions happened when the lithium batteries failed, the device overheated or the while the device was charging.

Looking at the damage to his tree, the bubbling paint on his front door, warped from the heat of the flames, and his friend's injuries Friday, Riner said he's glad things did not turn out worse.

"She's lucky she's alive," he said.

About Kristine Gill

Kristine Gill is a features reporter for the Daily News who has also covered crime, education and the city of Naples. Each morning, she puts together a short list of stories the newsroom is working on for her video spot, The Daily Scoop. She's always looking for interesting people to write about.